MEMORIAL OF SAINT ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT CONRAD OF PARZHAM ~ FEAST DAY: As we continue to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today on this Good Shepherd Sunday (Vocations Sunday), we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop and Doctor of the Church and Saint Conrad of Parzham, who was known to be diligent at his work, sparing in words, bountiful to the poor, and eager to help strangers. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this Good Shepherd Sunday as we pray for Vocations, we humbly pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners and for Christians all over the world. We also pray for the poor and the needy and abandoned children, especially during these incredibly challenging times.
“The Mother of God is our mother. May the good mother ask and beg for us, may she request and obtain what is good for us”.~ St. Anselm
SAINT ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: He is generally considered to be the founder of the philosophical school of Scholasticism, for his attempt to analyze and illumine the truths of faith through the aid of reason. He was a major figure in the intellectual life of the Middle Ages, and a major political and ecclesiastical force as well. St. Anselm (1033–1109) was born into a noble family in Piedmont in the Lombardy region of Italy in about the year 1033.The example of his pious mother led him to great faith, and he sought to enter the monastery at age 15. However, the abbot refused him due to Anselm’s stern father. After his mother’s death Anselm left home and settled in Normandy to study under the direction of a famed monk named Lanfranc. Upon the death of his father, Anselm became a Benedictine monk at the age of 27. Due to his brilliance, Anselm became a teacher at the abbey’s school and prior of the monastery. He was made Prior in 1063 and Abbot in 1078. He went on to become the most learned theologian, philosopher, and mystic of his generation, the greatest since St. Augustine of Hippo. Anselm’s fame led to his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in England on 1093, succeeding his old master, Lanfranc in thisoffice, as Archbishop of Canterbury. He went on to correct abuses against the Church at the hand of the English kings. His resistance to the unjust measures of King William Rufus drew upon him the anger of that monarch. In1097-98, he made a voyage to Rome, and spend some time in a monastery of Calabria, where he composed a work on the Incarnation. In the same year he assisted at the Council of Bari, and by his prayers prevented the Pope from excommunicating the King of England.
During his travels the Saint composed several of his metaphysical works, and did not return to his See until after the death of King William Rufus in 1100. Differences with the new King caused him to undertake a second journey to Rome in 1103, and Pascal II upheld the authority of the Archbishop as his predecessor, Urban II, had done. Twice he was banished from the island while appealing to Rome for assistance, and twice he returned to Canterbury to carry on his duties until his death. He returned to England in 1106 and died in 1109. St. Anselm was characterized by his spirit of recollection, which he preserved even in the most distracting occupations and by the metaphysical bent of his mind. His written works have deeply influenced Catholic Philosophy and Theology. In this field he is best known for his “Ontological Argument” for the existence of God. He was also a strenuous defender of the rights of the Church against the usurpation of kings. His abilities as an extraordinary theologian, negotiator, and statesman greatly supported the cause of the Church. As archbishop he continued his monastic lifestyle and intellectual pursuits. He is famous for his devotion to our Blessed Mother, whose Feast of the Immaculate Conception he was the first to establish in the West. He composed several philosophical and theological treatises, as well as a series of beautiful prayers and meditations, which led him to be proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Clement XI in 1720. His feast day is celebrated on April 21st.
PRAYER: We ask your intercession, Saint Anselm, to help our faith to understand its object. You did not leave man’s sense of wonder unchallenged but sought to organize human thought to meet the challenge of God. Help all thinkers to be open to finding as much as searching. Amen🙏🏽
Almighty God, who didst raise up thy servant Anselm to teach the Church of his day to understand its faith in thine eternal Being, perfect justice, and saving mercy: Provide thy Church in every age with devout and learned scholars and teachers, that we may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever~Amen🙏🏽
SAINT CONRAD OF PARZHAM: St. Conrad of Parzham, (1818-1894), was a German Franciscan mystic and lay brother. He served for over 40 years in the post of porter or doorkeeper of the Capuchin friary of the shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, through which work he gained a widespread reputation for his wisdom and holiness, he was known for his Marian devotions. St. Conrad had the gift of prophecy and of reading people’s hearts. St. Conrad of Parzham was born Carl Birndorfer in Parzham, Bavaria, Germany, on December 22, 1818 and was baptized with the name of John, the son of Bartholomäus Birndorfer and Gertrude Niedermayer, and was born on the family farm in Parzham, now a part of the town of Bad Griesbach, then in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now part of Germany. Baptized Johann Evangelist, he was the second youngest of 12 children, five of whom died in infancy. At the age of six, he started elementary school in nearby Weng. Young John’s devotion was noticeable especially when he prayed in church, the distant location of which was no hindrance to his visiting it frequently even in inclement weather. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and each day fervently recited the rosary. On feast days he frequently made a journey to some remote shrine of the Blessed Mother. During such pilgrimages, always made on foot, he was engaged in prayer, and when he returned in the evening, he was usually still fasting. John spent his early years on the family farm. His mother died when he was 14; his father two years later. After attending a parish mission in 1838, he decided to enter the religious life. The following year, at the age of 31, and after distributing his inheritance, he was admitted as a lay brother among the Capuchin Franciscan friars.
Immediately after his profession in 1842 he was sent to the Friary of St. Ann, in the city of Altötting. The friary served the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, the national shrine of Bavaria to the Blessed Mother. St. Conrad was given the task of assisting the porter at this shrine. In March 1851, he had to leave Altötting to go to Burghausen to care for a dying priest. The following September, he entered the novitiate at Laufen, where he was given the name Conrad in honor of Conrad of Piacenza. He then returned to Altötting as porter. Because it was a large and busy city, the duty of the friary porter was a very difficult one. St. Conrad was known to be diligent at his work, sparing in words, bountiful to the poor, eager and ready to receive and help strangers. Brother Conrad fulfilled the task of porter for more than 40 years, assisting the inhabitants of the town in their needs of body and soul. St. Conrad loved silence in a special way. His spare moments during the day were spent in a nook near the door where it was possible for him to see and adore the Blessed Sacrament. During the night he would deprive himself of several hours of sleep to devote the time to prayer either in the oratory of the friars or in the church. It was generally believed that he never took any rest, but continually occupied himself in work and exercises of devotion.On April 21,1894, St. Conrad died in the friary where he had served for 41 years. During his lifetime, St. Conrad was reputed to have been able to read the hearts of those he met, and he was attributed with the gift of prophecy. His heroic virtues and the miracles he performed won for him the distinction to be ranked among the Blessed by Pope Pius XI in 1930. Four years later, the same pope, approving additional miracles which had been performed, solemnly inscribed his name in the list of saints. He was canonized in 1934. He is the Patron Saint of the Mid-America Province of Capuchin Friars, Catholic Student Association, doorkeepers, Passau, Germany, diocese of (since 1984). His feast day is celebrated on April 21st.
PRAYER: Lord God, our Father, in You is our hope and our life. You have made us and be belong to You. Give us Your grace and Your help to constantly render to You, our love and gratitude and to suffer for that great love, by which You sent your only Son to save us. St Conrad, pray for us that we may grow in holiness and soon meet you in heaven… Amen. Saint Conrad of Parzham ~ Pray for us🙏🏽